Folding apparatus for rotor reprinting presses



United States Patent Rudolf Kuhni Frauenfeld, Switzerland [2 l Appl. No. 753,009

[22] Filed Aug. 15,1968

[45] Patented Nov. 17, 1970 [73] Assignee Winkler, Fallert & Co., Ltd.,

[72] inventor Berne, Switzerland [32] Priority Aug. 21, 1967 [33] Sweden [54] FOLDING APPARATUS FOR ROTOR REPRINTING PRESSES 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 270/72, 270/65 [51] Int. Cl B65h 45/16 [50] Field of Search 270/70- Primary Examiner- Lawrence Charles Attorney- McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: Folding apparatus for rotary printing presses, for producing cross-folded copies, includes a rotating folding drum, pairs of folding rolls mounted rotatably in the drum and revolved around the drum axis, and short guiding tongues receiving the folded copies from the folding rolls. The drum has an open end, and a stationarily mounted cantilever arm extends through the open end to receive the folded copies from the tongues and discharge the copies through the open end of the drum. This cantilever arm may be provided with an endless conveyor.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 7 3,540,722

Sheet 1 of2 I Fig.7

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Sheet 3 012 INVENToR Ru DOLF KUHNI BY hwwTa-ww Amk M675 FOLDING APPARATUS FOR ROTOR REPRINTING PRESSES.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Flaptfolding machines and wheel folding machines, for cross-folding newspapers and magazines, are .known. Some flap folding machines are equipped with stationary folding knives, some with controlled folding knives and some with rotating folding knives. They are built with different cylinder arrangements for fixed and variable formats.

Wheel-folding machines are likewise built according to different designs, planetary gearing and other epicyclic gear systems being generally used for driving the rotating folding knives. The folding rolls are stationarily positioned and rotate in opposite angular directions about their own axes.

The fact that the folding rolls are stationarily positioned has the disadvantage that the leading part of the copy to be folded must be deceleratcd from the full paper velocity, and then be accelerated again in the reverse direction to the full paper -velocity. The reversely directed accelerations lead to undesired tears at the bottom of the copy, at high press speeds.

In the production of cross-folded newspapers, it is further known to use a rotating drum as a carrier ofa number of folding rolls rotating about their own axes and revolving about the drum axis. Long deflecting tongues are arranged in the range of the pairs of folding rolls, and a stationary arm is provided outside the drum. However, this arrangement has several disadvantages.

Since the copies are guided, after folding, through the drum along guiding tongues, for distribution by means of additional ejector rolls, the driving mechanism is rather complicated. To this end, the copy itself must have, due to its own initial velocity, sufficient kinetic energy to slide along the long guiding tongues and up to the ejector rolls. Along these guiding tongues, there are very high contact pressures between the copy and the tongues, due to the rotary movement of the folding cylinders. These contact forces prevent correct sliding and ejection by the folding rolls. It is nearly impossible to handle thin copy.

In addition, no collective production is possible with this known drum, as otherwise the ejected copies would collide with the collective copies on the cylinder. Separate collecting cylinders thus are necessary, and this is always a disadvantage because there are problems in cutting, due to the so-called spaghettis" (very narrow paper wastes).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to folding apparatus for rotary printing presses, for the production of cross-folded newspapers and magazines, and, more particularly, to a novel and improved folding apparatus for this purpose.

In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages of known folding machines are obviated by providing a rotating folding drum having an open end and a stationarily mounted cantilever arm extending through the open end into the drum to receive folded copy from tongues arranged in the .range of pairs of folding rollers mounted rotatably in the drum and revolved around the drum axis. The folding arm discharges or distributes the copies laterally from the folding apparatus, through the open end of the drum. In accordance with theiinvention, the guiding tongues are very short in length apparatus which includes a rotating folding drum and a stationarily mounted cantilever arm extending through an open end of the drum into the drum to receive the folded copies.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus including-pairs of folding rolls mounted rotatably in the drum and revolved around the drum axis, and short guiding tongues within the range of the pairs of folding rolls to receive the folded copies and to guide these copies to the cantilever arm;

For an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a somewhat schematic and elevation view of folding apparatus embodying the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the folding apparatus, takenalong the line H of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, paper strips 1 run, in a known manner, over a folding horn 2 and between rolls 3 from which they are fed, by means ofa pair of feed rolls 4, to a cutting device 5. After cutting, the sheets 6 are fed between belts (not shown), and with variable apparatus, between accelerators to the drum 7. Guiding of sheets 6 on the periphery of drum 7 can be effected by belts, grippers, or point spurs, by means of which the sheets 6 are moved into the operating range of a folding knife cylinder 8.

In the drum 7, there is arranged an odd number of pairs of folding rolls 9 mounted rotatably in the drum and revolving about the drum axis. Short and curved deflecting tongues 10 are arranged in drum 7 in the range of the pairs of folding rolls 9, and curve in the trailing direction relative to the direction of rotation of drum 7. At least one stationarily mounted cantilever arm extends through an open end of drum 7 into the interior of the drum to receive folded copies from the deflecting or guiding tongues 10.

Folding .knives I2 and I3 are secured on folding knife cylinder 8, and are cooperable with the revolving pairs of folding rolls 9 in a manner'such as to push the sheets 6 between the folding rolls 9 of each pair. Folding rolls 9 guide the folded sheets 6 between the short deflecting tongues 10. Due to the fact that the deflection by the tongues 10 is in the reverse direction relative to the direction of rotation of drum 7, the absolute velocity of the folded sheets remains very low. This permits direct distribution of the folded copies on the cantileverarm 11 extending into the drum 7.

The apparatus of the invention has the effect that the kinematic folding conditions are improved, since no deceleration of the sheets during the folding is necessary.

Asshown in FIG. 2, an endless conveyor may be provided on the stationarily mounted cantilever arm I I.

I claim:

I. In folding apparatus for rotary printing presses, for the production of cross-folded newspapers and magazines, of the type including a rotating folding drum, pairs of folding rolls mounted rotatably in the drum and revolved around the drum axis, and guiding tongues within the range of the pairs of folding rolls to receive the folded copies; the improvement comprising, in combination, a rotatable folding knife cylinder adjacent said drum andcarrying folding knife means operable to push copies between said folding rolls for folding; said rotating drum having an open end; and a stationarily mounted cantilever arm means extending through said open end into said drum to receive the folded copies from said tongues and discharge the folded copies through said open end of said drum.

2. In folding apparatus for rotary printing presses, the improvement claimed in claim I, in which said guiding tongues mounted cantilever arm and an endless conveyor supported by said arm. 

